Joseph's 1st Fish

Joseph was the most excited I have seen him. He couldn't wait to go fishing.
This weekend we had a yard sale with some friends down town at her house. Joseph went shopping while we were there.....he "bought" some lures from his new buddy (Mr. Vern). That is what he calls him.....my buddy Mr. Vern. It got him so excited to go fishing and you can see he did a good job.

Garden

Just a little update on our garden. It is going much better than we ever thought. We have been enjoying squash and cucumbers for the last week or so. We are looking forward the the rest very soon.

Sweet Baby Girl Tomatoes



















Banana Peppers

Exercise

In our effort to get some exercise, Matt made us a trail in the field above our house. He spent about 2 hours mowing through weeds. It turned out really great. It's beautiful...It's like our very own small Canaan Valley. That's what it looks like.....trails over in the valley. We have seen deer, woodpeckers, birds, and even kitty enjoying the trail. You can even stop and pick some berries if you like.









John is riding his bike about 2 miles a day around the loop. I am walking/jogging (mostly walking) around a mile to a mile and a half. Matt is jogging about a mile or two. We are really enjoying getting out. .......well most of us.
Joseph is not so happy about the trail....well I didn't tell you about the not so good part. There are several ant hills along the side of the trail. You don't want to stop anywhere near them. That is good motivation to keep going.....which is good. but Joseph always stops for something and he gets a couple of ants on his feet and you can hear him for miles.

John's New Toy

We went to pick up Matt's bike at the bike shop and look what John fell in love with. He is getting really good at riding and he really loves it too. It will be good exercise for him. Everyone needs that......especially at our house. Joseph has moved up to training wheels......we will get picture of that soon.

Congratulations to Jennifer & Lee

Our family has the first baby girl. It's so exciting. Can't wait to see her in person.

Madeline Grace

Born: July 1, 2008
5 lbs 13 oz
19 inches

Joshua Walking

Joshua is completely mobile now. He starting trying to walk at the beginning of June and by his birthday was pretty good. Here is a little video to see him walking today (July 2). Enjoy.

Joshua's 1st Birthday

Joshua had a good birthday. He really enjoyed his cake. Thanks for all the cards and money. We really appreciate it.

Garden Update

The garden is doing better than we expected. We can't wait to grill some of our very own veggies. Roasted red peppers.......my personal favorite.

It looks like, I am not alone in loving red peppers or green peppers or hot peppers or cucumbers. The deer seem to enjoy them just as much as we do.

VBS

This is night three out of four. It's been a good time for all the kids. This year is Joseph's first time and he is having a blast. The skits are really good........"Not Your Average Joe" is this years theme. The life of Joseph and how God takes care of his children even when things are not going the way we plan. Our intern pastor, Josh, wrote the skits. He is really a talented guy. We are blessed to have quite a few talented people at our church.























































Me and Joshua are hanging out here at home tonight. We went the first night and plan to go tomorrow for the finale.

Creative Summer Days

Here is a link to one of my favorite blogs. They are always having cool giveaways and contests. This one is will be very nice for moms this summer.

Beating the Heat

It's been really hot here for a few days but the boys don't seem to mind with their new water slide........

John: The Photographer

John is spending his last day of 3rd grade at work with Matt. He is learning some valuable skills. He took some wonderful photos with Matt's new dept. SLR. I really like both photos but I like the top one best. Matt likes the Clematis the best..........
Which one is your favorite?

post your vote

Garden Update

Planting is complete and the beans are starting to come up. It's exciting to see. We are growing our own "farm fresh" food (Joseph terminology). When John was about 3, he asked if we could plant some Oreos. Wouldn't that be great!!!! Anyone have any Oreo seeds?

My Man Hard at Work

Matt tilled our garden yesterday. It was a lot of work because the ground is really hard. He did a good job though.



You can see the boys and me gave him lots of support but not much help.



More to come...........as we get things planted.

Memorial Day Badminton

John's winning spike!............This kid's got talent

Joseph's 4th Birthday

Here are a few photos from Joseph's big day. He is really growing and changing. He loves to talk about getting big ...........when he gets four...........he will be able to do almost anything. He thinks!? Four is here so we will see....................
Enjoy....

He is really proud of his new shades, if you can't tell.

2008 Pinewood Derby

Contenders for the Faith had their Pinewood Derby tonight. All the boys had a really good time and of course the dads too. John's first time out.........he won second place out of 13 boys and also got the Award for the Best Car Design. John and Matt had a really good time working together to build his car. The other boys are: Nigel Hansen-1st place and Chase Simmons-3rd place.

Outer Banks Vacation

What a relaxing time!!! No work just play. We had at great time together. Our beach house was nice with a DQ at one end of the street and the beach access at the other end. The wind was quite strong so we didn't get to spend a lot of time on the beach but the boys still had fun burying each other in the sand and collecting shells. We stopped by the lighthouses, rode the Ferry to Ocracoke Island and on the way home visited the Wright Brothers National Memorial. We are already planning our trip for next year.

Below is a video clip of the ocean: you can hear and see the what the wind was like :>)

Blackwater Falls Home School Trip

What a beautiful day at Blackwater Falls.
The temperature was perfect for a great day of hiking.
The group hiked 3 1/2 miles while the moms hung out and talked.









The falls was really full of water.......It was the prettiest we have ever seen.

We always have to get a good photo when we can.

Joshua 9 months

Here is a couple new pictures of Joshua!
If you look really close in the first one, you can see his two new teeth.